Lexapro for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 3)

• fin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2019

"Been on escitalopram for 8 weeks (51 yo woman). SUPER lethargic week 1 as I went from 5 to 10 mg. Urinary problems in week 2 only. No orgasm in week 3 and still now. Benefits crept up SLOWLY. First was PHYSICAL benefits in week 4: no more adrenaline rushes or heart palpitations and my body just felt really good (libido great despite lack of orgasm). This was huge but still no change in my thinking. Week 7, obsessive thinking and worry subsided noticeably. Start of week 8 it REALLY kicked in. I have clarity, a sense of calm, I smile a lot, I genuinely take time for others, my mind is not racing or jumbled with worry, I am willing to ask for what I want more confidently. Biggest thing: I am no longer on edge AT ALL. Still hoping for benefit to self-esteem & being more outgoing. Dr. will up me to 15 mg for this, but I will wait since I literally see improvement daily & I prefer the lowest dose. I LOVE the change in myself! Patience & paying attention to little improvements is key!"

• Bro...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 26, 2015

"This is the first time I have ever posted a review of anything online, but I feel an obligation to share my experience with others suffering from anxiety. I suffer from GAD, which includes panic attacks, muscle aches, and a horrible temper. I avoided this medication fearing weight gain (as I had already gained 10 lbs over the year) and sexual dysfunction. When I explained this to my doctor, he replied, 'Have you ever considered whether being anxious has caused you to eat more, drink more, and maybe have sex less often?' I have been on Lexapro for 6 months now, and my only regret is not starting this treatment sooner. I have lost 15 lbs as I don't eat and drink as much anymore, and my love life has improved. Anxiety sucks. You don't have to suffer!"

• And...
• December 21, 2019

"Life saver. First week on Lexapro ain't easy. I felt every single emotion within five minutes. All day long. But once you're through with that, life starts being bright again. I experienced few side effects, which are nothing compared to the anxiety I had. If you’re just starting and you feel like it's getting worse, push through it, it gets better!"

• sna...
• November 26, 2018

"Please give it a try! It works! Here are some recommendations based on my experience. It won't 'fix' you, but it'll make it so you can actually breathe again. I used to cry constantly, isolate myself, have panic attacks so frequently I couldn't even sleep, and have horrible intrusive violent thoughts. 1. Be proactive when it comes to the nausea side effect. Eat BEFORE you take the pill, and don't let yourself get hungry during the first 3-4 hours after you take the pill. Because once you get nausea, it becomes harder to eat, which only makes you more nauseous. It's a vicious cycle that can be prevented. 2. Ignore the negative reviews that are like 'I took this pill for 1 day and it caused *terrifying side effects*.' They only cause more anxiety and they're highly unlikely. 3. From my personal experience, the first things to get better were the physical symptoms of anxiety. Less panic attacks, more hunger, less crying, etc. Keeping a journal is helpful to see the progression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 30, 2024

"I've been on Lexapro for 6 months now, and I must say it has changed my life for the better. I sleep better, and I'm more relaxed, I don't overthink anymore as I used to do before taking it. It has also helped me with agoraphobia. I will continue taking it for sure. I'm on 10 mg and have no side effects. It's a miracle drug!!!!!"

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2022

"On this for depression and anxiety. I started having suicidal thoughts and felt so hopelessly sad. I started therapy but didn't notice much difference. I was against taking meds, but eventually I gave up and asked the doctor to prescribe SSRIs for me. She had me start on 5 mg a day of escitalopram generic. The first week, I felt good with some weird dreams, a bit of euphoria, and some nausea. Week 2, I started having vivid and horrible nightmares, and my anxiety got worse. Week 3 was also not fun, very similar to week 2, I felt a bit more sad. Week 4, I started feeling a bit better. Week 5, the doctor upped the dose to 10 mg. I felt good for 4 days, then my body started adjusting to the new dose, and it took 2 weeks of lower mood again. Nausea came back for the first 4 days of 10 mg in week 6. I started to feel much better. Now in week 8, no anxiety, no depression - I feel great. I've been exercising, cutting caffeine, eating healthy, no weight gain, no sexual problems. Life is beautiful again. Give it time."

• Sb1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 4, 2019

"Before starting Lexapro, I was a complete mess. GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) had completely taken over my life. I could barely go outside without having an anxiety attack. I started Lexapro 5 mg two years ago and my life completely changed. It took about 2 weeks for me to feel a difference, and I was blown away by how different my life was. I was going to concerts, traveling, doing things I never thought I would be able to do with my level of anxiety. I switched off Lexapro to try a new drug recently to see if it would work better, but it made my anxiety worse than ever. Thankfully I started Lexapro again last week and I already feel so much better. This drug honestly saved my life and even though everyone is different, I would completely recommend trying it if you have GAD. The side effects (for me) were mild, only some insomnia and a little dizziness, so I would say if you're starting it to wait a week or so, and you'll feel a difference. I hope my review helps!"

• Jjj...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 27, 2019

"Lexapro has saved my life. I tried all the natural stuff but nothing really works. I'm now up to 20mg. 5mg worked at first. I did have insomnia the first week I started it, but that went away. Once it fully kicks in, it's like the darkness, depression, and anxiety are lifted, and you can see clearly. I've been through some hard times as a single mom struggling with money, court cases, and loneliness. I was suicidal until I increased to 20mg a couple of months ago. I hope I don't have to increase again, but I'm not sure if I would be alive without it. I was able to keep working and function, living a normal life again. Give the medicine 3 weeks to a month to kick in. I wasn't able to be alone or take care of my child because I was doing so bad. Now we are living alone and living a normal life. For those of you in it right now—know that things will get better. The darkness and the fear are not permanent. Lexapro with exercise, journaling, and meditation can do wonders."

• Wom...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 5, 2014

"Lexapro is a lifesaver. Do not worry about the negative reviews, and keep in mind that the majority of them have been written by people who got off after days or a few weeks. Anxiety got a lot worse in the beginning. When it does, you get scared. Scared that the pills won't work. Scared that it will be like this forever. But it DOES get better. For me, it really took a long time. I felt a very gradual improvement every week, and after about 3 months my anxiety was practically gone. I feel like a new person - it is amazing that a pill is able to do this. And for any emetophobics reading this: It helps against that fear as well. I didn't experience any nausea, but kept Reglan just in case. Sex drive lower, but able to orgasm. Life is good."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 13, 2020

"I’ve been on Lexapro for a year now. Started at 5 mg. in Dec. 2019 and felt better, but the real improvement didn’t happen until March 2020 when my Dr. increased my dose to 10 mg. I started medication in the first place because I got to the dreaded point where I couldn’t drive anymore because of panic attacks, but now I’m driving again and no panic attacks. I still get anxiety, but I’m able to work through it. Lexapro has improved my life so much! I’m one of those people who didn’t want to take medication and tried everything else homeopathic, but in the end, I needed more. It does take patience because it does take weeks to kick in. But other than that, I have no complaints and feel like I have my life back!"

• Aar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 4, 2020

"Since I have been on Lexapro, I can feel a significant change in how I react to my anxiety, my habits, and how it has helped with my digestion and IBS (super happy with this random bonus!). The easiest way for me to explain my overall state on Lexapro is that when I feel my anxiety rising, I am more aware of it and am able to pull myself out of a 'spiral.' For me, that is the best part. Because of the lessened anxiety, I also have fewer IBS flare-ups."

• Mon...
• May 28, 2019

"I've been suffering from an extreme health anxiety for the last few years. I've tried a lot of different medications and nothing really helped. I've visited the ER so many times...I thought that something was wrong with me. Psychosomatic symptoms felt super real. I'd checked my cardiovascular health with a cardiologist multiple times. After a check-up, I felt OK for a couple of weeks, and then I'd started to feel bad again and went back for another check-up. I've stopped drinking coffee and exercising because I was scared of a heart attack! I was put on Lexapro. The first week was unbearable, anxiety worse than ever, but after that, I started getting better and better, and two weeks later I was feeling amazing! No more obsessive thoughts about health, I became sociable and fun again, got my life back... I definitely recommend Lexapro. It's going to be bad for a week or so, but it is absolutely worth it."

• CaB...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2019

"After enduring a high-pressure job for many years, I succumbed to overwhelming anxiety in middle age. I was first prescribed Effexor XR. The first two weeks were awful, but finally, the bad side effects started to dissipate, albeit my anxiety was still raised. However, more worryingly, I had continuing insomnia. My doctor switched me seamlessly to Lexapro with no issues other than the continuing raised anxiety. I started on 5mg for a week, and this was raised to 10mg, but the raised anxiety was still present. I asked the doctor to raise me to 15mg, and for the first two weeks, the anxiety was still present until finally it abated. One month later, I'm sleeping by myself and back feeling like my old self. I have motivation again and am returning to the workforce. I posted this because frankly the negative reviews on the net scared me senseless."

• Chr...
• March 24, 2017

"I was prescribed Lexapro after some fairly rough depression and anxiety. I had been in the hospital 3 times in 2 weeks for anxiety attacks. The first day after Lexapro, I felt the depression gone. Literally the first day. However, the first 3-4 weeks were rough. I definitely had nausea and was VERY sleepy. But after about a month, the nausea and sleepiness went away. A nurse at our doctor's office basically told me to suck it up, and that I had to give the medicine time to work. I toughed it out, and after about 6 weeks, it was like a cloud was lifted and I have felt AMAZING ever since. I didn't realize that I have probably had depression and/or anxiety for decades until I found out what it was like to feel great. Still great after a year."

• Gai...
• February 13, 2020

"I started on Lexapro in November on 10 mg dose. Then January moved up to 15 mg, and I am now at 20 mg dose. I feel and always felt horrid. Diarrhea and achy and nausea. The docs say each time that I increase the dose I should give it time and that the side effects will get better. I don’t know what to do. Help me anyone have these side effects and do they go away."

• Pha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2016

"I have had three very good experiences with Lexapro. To any readers in deep depression and with anxiety, rule one is to not take bad experiences you read on the web as your future experience. Each time I have experienced major depression, I started on 10 mg and had to grind my way through at least 4 weeks to feel any positive effects and the worst side effects were gone. I was bumped up to 20 mg, and it took two weeks of living through hell again and then suddenly it was gone. Exercise, get out and face your demons, and remember it can and will get better (yes, hard to believe when they could scrape you off the wall, but it will happen). Good luck... you have my sympathy and encouragement."

• Azt...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2021

"I have suffered from anxiety and depression since I was 19 (now 38) and this past pandemic year my anxiety, stress levels, and depression just shot up. I was having to double my dose of hydroxyzine to go get groceries or even make an appointment. I work, I am a student, and a single mom of three kids. The past 2 months I was running on maybe 2 hours of sleep and just out of it. I started Lexapro recently (I am on day 4). My doctor prescribed me 5 mg and advised me to take it before bed. My first 2 days I did feel a little 'tired' and napped on and off. Day 3 and 4, and I am noticing I have slept through the night and woken up refreshed. This is very new to me. Yesterday I made it through the day without a nap!! I am excited to see where this takes me. Hang in there. I will be back to review in a few weeks."

• Mii...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2019

"The first couple of weeks I had nausea but it went away! I had anxiety & depression. I’ve been taking for about 4-5 months. This pill has changed my life. I get excited about a sunny day. I have for the first time in 6 years made new friends and the color is back in the world for me. I used to be very underweight like 40kg and hated food, to gaining 10kg in 4 months and enjoying food & loving my body. After a couple of months on this pill, I just noticed “hey I don’t cry at the bottom of the shower anymore”. Things are better. I hope this helps someone out there."

• El4...
• June 21, 2016

"After months of CBT with my psychologist for severe anxiety and panic disorder, I decided to seek help from a psychiatrist. I was prescribed 5mg, then 10mg of Lexapro to start, and it gradually increased to 20mg. In the first few days, I had never felt worse. More frequent and severe panic attacks, my general anxiety went through the roof, and I had the most extreme feeling of hopelessness. I was a mess and calling my doctors, telling them I needed to stop taking it. They reassured me these side effects would go away within weeks, and they did. I continued with the CBT, mindfulness, lifestyle changes, and stayed on the Lexapro, and within months, I felt I was back to my normal self. Posts like these kept me going. Hang in there, you're not alone!"

• Anonymous
• July 27, 2008

"Without going into my whole story about this drug and the events that led me up to the point of taking it, I will just say my piece about it and move on. At the risk of sounding cliché, it is a miracle drug. It completely changed my life for the better. I really can't even begin to say all the specific things it helped me change about myself. I'm not normally the type of person who will get on the Internet and give kudos to a product of any kind, but with this, I am. Look into it!"

• Dad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2019

"Literally had one foot off the bridge. I have suffered from a heart arrhythmia that was causing me to just give up on life. I was on a beta blocker for it and the beta blocker intensified the depression. My two kiddos were the only thing keeping me in the game. No one, of course, knew this... but I was one foot off the bridge with my kids holding my other foot firmly planted. Then came Lexapro. I had tried it a year or so before and gave up on it... too soon. Told my doctor I had to try something. It was like my body remembered the Lexapro, I swear to God. About 10 days after taking it, it was like a switch flipped. I woke up feeling better. The heart arrhythmia stopped for the most part, and the depression was almost lifted. I take 10mg daily. I would rate this a 20 if I could."

• Elv...
• October 9, 2014

"My experience thus far on this medicine is absolutely life-changing. I have never taken any form of medication in my life except for antibiotics on a couple of occasions. However, when anxiety hit me out of nowhere, I thought I was losing my mind. I could not think or function. I didn't have the strength to stomach food and was afraid all the time. I could not work and thought that living was becoming impossible. As a result of this, I became depressed and the vicious cycle continued. I thought I would never escape this feeling. It all became too much for me after about a month, and I went to my doctor a blithering mess. He prescribed me 10mg Lexapro, and I regained my life. 14 days later, I am back to normal and happy, smiling. Get your life back."

• Deb...
• December 16, 2020

"I've been on Lexapro for 6 weeks for severe anxiety with depression. I'm feeling better than I have in years! Finally found something that works for me! Hang in there y'all. It really started working in the last week."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2025

"It took at least 3 months and upping the dose to kick in. I am now on 15 mgs, and this suits me. Initially, I was zonked out and switched to taking it at bedtime. It has been a struggle, but now I'm anxiety-free and have my life back. Keep the faith, it will work."

• T V...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 20, 2024

"After 7 weeks of using Lexapro, it has FINALLY kicked in!! I was almost going to go back to my doctor to change or see if I needed to up my dosage. For these 7 weeks, my anxiety was definitely helped, but I had been in hermit mode, not wanting to socialize and wanting to be in bed a lot, relaxing which is very unlike myself. As of yesterday, a surge of energy has hit me, and I have been ready to go! I'm so happy, give this medication time! My doctor told me it could take 4-6 weeks for it to work, but as I said, 7 weeks was my duration."